Future tech Nautilus-X

The artificial-gravity spacecraft that could take humans to the Moon and beyond

When it comes to manned missions into deep space there is no shortage of proposals. People have dreamt up spacecraft with various fantastical elements, from futuristic propulsion engines to somewhat ambitious aesthetic designs, but one proposal that warrants a serious glance is Nautilus-X. It’s a spacecraft that builds largely on existing technology to make human exploration of the Solar System a realistic possibility, and at a reasonable price too.

Drawn up by NASA engineers Mark Holderman and Edward Henderson, the name stands for Non-Atmospheric Universal Transport Intended for Lengthy United States Exploration. Nautilus-X would be capable of supporting a crew of six for missions lasting from one month to two years. Although it might look like a mini space station, the whole thing is designed to be able to travel throughout the Solar System, be it near the Moon or Mars. Although incapable of descending to the surface of another world itself, it has docking ports to which landing craft can be attached.

The design of the spacecraft means that it could remain in space for many years, with several different crews utilising it. For example, one crew could travel to Nautilus-X in an Orion spacecraft and then take the entire spacecraft onwards to Mars for a mission lasting up to a year. They would then return in Nautilus-X at the conclusion of the mission and leave the spacecraft near Earth orbit, ready and waiting for another crew, while they travel back to the surface of Earth in their Orion capsule.

Such an implementation would allow multiple rotating crews to make use of the spacecraft on a variety of missions. Solar panels would make the station almost entirely self-sustainable, while onboard farms could provide astronauts with food. At the outset of a mission, however, it’s likely astronauts would need to bring some supplies with them, perhaps on a separate spacecraft such as SpaceX’s Dragon.

Another key feature of Nautilus-X is the centrifuge. It is well documented that prolonged exposure to space can have a debilitating effect on an astronaut’s health, in particular their muscle and bone strength. It is estimated that as much as two per cent of bone mass is lost for every month an astronaut is weightless in space, so providing an artificial-gravity environment could be essential for long-term exploration missions. The centrifuge on Nautilus-X would provide between 0.51 and 0.69 of Earth’s gravity, allowing astronauts to recuperate bone mass they may have lost while on other parts of the spacecraft or outside on a mission. Such a centrifuge had been suggested as an additional module for the International Space Station to test the technology, but unfortunately that now seems to be on hold due to budgets.

On the subject of money, Nautilus-X carries with it a rather alluring price tag. The brains behind the project estimate it would cost around $3.7 billion (£2.3 billion) – not even double the price of NASA’s Curiosity rover – while development could be completed in just over five years. Such figures are attractive, especially for the money-conscious top dogs at NASA, so there is a chance that after further research this spacecraft may come to fruition.

So when could we expect to see work on Nautilus-X begin? At the moment NASA’s manned exploration funding is tied up in a number of projects, namely Orion, Commercial Crew Development – which includes funding for SpaceX, Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corporation’s upcoming manned vehicles – the ISS and the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket. The latter would be essential for launching and assembling the various components of this spacecraft in Earth orbit. Whether we will ever see Nautilus-X fly is up for debate, but it’s good to know that NASA has a sound proposal for a deep-space exploration vehicle if it ever decides to go down that route.

Docking port NASA’s Orion spacecraft – and perhaps some commercial vehicles as well – will be able to take astronauts to and from Nautilus-X by docking here. Corridor The main corridor would measure 6.5 metres (21.3 feet) wide and 14 metres (46 feet) long.

Arm To assemble or move parts of the spacecraft, a Remote Manipulator System (RMS) similar to that on the ISS could be used. Command and control From this position, which also doubles as an observation deck, the crew of six can operate and run the various aspects of the spacecraft. Inflatable modules A variety of inflatable modules fulfil different tasks for the crew including environment control and life support, plant growth, exercise and cargo storage. Centrifuge Up to 12 metres (40 feet) in diameter, a centrifuge spinning at ten rotations per minute with the use of side thrusters could provide an environment with as much as 69 per cent of Earth’s gravity. Safety chamber In the event of a large amount of incoming harmful radiation, such as from a solar flare, astronauts would retreat to a radiation mitigation chamber at the heart of the spacecraft. Hangars Two hangars would provide locations for landing craft or scientific probes to be stored and released when Nautilus-X is at its mission destination, such as the Moon or Mars. Solar panels The entire spacecraft would run on solar power, so it wouldn’t need to rely on any expendable fuel sources.